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Melinda's parents have noticed that she won't talk, and that her grades are falling.

Mother: "That's the point, she won't say anything! I can't get a word out of her. She's mute." Guidance Counselor: "I think we need to explore the family dynamics at play here." Mother: "She's jerking us around to get attention." Me: [inside my head] Would you listen? Would you believe me? Fat chance. Dad: "Well, something is wrong. What have you done to her? I had a sweet, loving little girl last year, but as soon as she comes up here, she clams up, skips school, and flushes her grades down the toilet. I golf with the school board president, you know."